Ikhtilaf
Encyclopedia
Ikhtilaf is an Islam
ic scholarly religious disagreement, and is hence the opposite of ijma
.
Islam teaches that when there is a scholarly disagreement on a certain issue, it is impermissible to condemn a person who follows a position that is different from one's own. The requirement to command the right and forbid the wrong does not apply when there is Ikhtilaf upon a position.
According to a saying of Prophet
Mohammed, the differences of opinion (Ikhtilaf) between his faithful (Ummah
) constitute a form a blessing (see Oba A.A., Islamic Law as Customary Law: The Changing Perspective in Nigeria, International and Comparative Law Journal 51 (2002) 817). However there is doubt as to the authenticity of this statement as to whether it truly came from the Prophet or not. People often quote this statement as a hadith, but it is not mentioned in the six authentic collections of Hadith and its chain of narrators is also not known. There are various versions of this statement. In some versions it is mentioned, "The difference of opinions among my Companions is a mercy for you." Or "The difference of opinions of my Companions is a mercy for my Ummah." Many scholars of Hadith consider all these versions as weak or da'if as far as their narration is concerned.
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
ic scholarly religious disagreement, and is hence the opposite of ijma
Ijma
Ijmāʿ is an Arabic term referring to the consensus of the Muslim community. Various schools of thought within Islamic jurisprudence may define this consensus as that of the first generation of Muslims only; the consensus of the first three generations of Muslims; the consensus of the jurists...
.
Islam teaches that when there is a scholarly disagreement on a certain issue, it is impermissible to condemn a person who follows a position that is different from one's own. The requirement to command the right and forbid the wrong does not apply when there is Ikhtilaf upon a position.
According to a saying of Prophet
Prophet
In religion, a prophet, from the Greek word προφήτης profitis meaning "foreteller", is an individual who is claimed to have been contacted by the supernatural or the divine, and serves as an intermediary with humanity, delivering this newfound knowledge from the supernatural entity to other people...
Mohammed, the differences of opinion (Ikhtilaf) between his faithful (Ummah
Ummah
Ummah is an Arabic word meaning "community" or "nation." It is commonly used to mean either the collective nation of states, or the whole Arab world...
) constitute a form a blessing (see Oba A.A., Islamic Law as Customary Law: The Changing Perspective in Nigeria, International and Comparative Law Journal 51 (2002) 817). However there is doubt as to the authenticity of this statement as to whether it truly came from the Prophet or not. People often quote this statement as a hadith, but it is not mentioned in the six authentic collections of Hadith and its chain of narrators is also not known. There are various versions of this statement. In some versions it is mentioned, "The difference of opinions among my Companions is a mercy for you." Or "The difference of opinions of my Companions is a mercy for my Ummah." Many scholars of Hadith consider all these versions as weak or da'if as far as their narration is concerned.